Articles | Volume 12, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-907-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-907-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
19 Aug 2024
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 19 Aug 2024
| 19 Aug 2024
Sourcing and long-range transport of particulate organic matter in river bedload: Río Bermejo, Argentina
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Institute of Geosciences, Universität Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
Niels Hovius
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Institute of Geosciences, Universität Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
Marisa Repasch
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
Joel Scheingross
Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada Reno, Nevada Geosciences, Reno, NV, USA
Jens M. Turowski
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Stefanie Tofelde
Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Oliver Rach
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Dirk Sachse
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Department of Geography, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Jens Martin Turowski, Fergus McNab, Aaron Bufe, and Stefanie Tofelde
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2342, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2342, 2024
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Channel belts comprise the area that is affected by a river due to lateral migration and floods. As a landform, they affect local water resources, flood hazard, and often host unique ecological communities. Here, we develop a model describing the evolution of channel belt area over time. The model connects the behaviour of the river to the evolution of the channel belt over a timescale of centuries. A comparison to selected data from experiments and real river systems is favourable.
Elizabeth Orr, Taylor Schildgen, Stefanie Tofelde, Hella Wittmann, and Ricardo Alonso
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-784, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-784, 2024
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Fluvial terraces and alluvial fans in the Toro Basin, NW Argentina record river evolution and global climate cycles over time. Landform dating reveals lower-frequency climate cycles (100-kyr) preserved downstream and higher-frequency cycles (21/40-kyr) upstream, supporting theoretical predications that longer rivers filter out higher-frequency climate signals. This finding improves our understanding of the spatial distribution of sedimentary paleoclimate records within landscapes.
Jens Martin Turowski, Aaron Bufe, and Stefanie Tofelde
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 493–514, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-493-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-493-2024, 2024
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Fluvial valleys are ubiquitous landforms, and understanding their formation and evolution affects a wide range of disciplines from archaeology and geology to fish biology. Here, we develop a model to predict the width of fluvial valleys for a wide range of geographic conditions. In the model, fluvial valley width is controlled by the two competing factors of lateral channel mobility and uplift. The model complies with available data and yields a broad range of quantitative predictions.
Chuanqi He, Ci-Jian Yang, Jens M. Turowski, Richard F. Ott, Jean Braun, Hui Tang, Shadi Ghantous, Xiaoping Yuan, and Gaia Stucky de Quay
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1151–1166, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1151-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1151-2024, 2024
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The shape of drainage basins and rivers holds significant implications for landscape evolution processes and dynamics. We used a global 90 m resolution topography to obtain ~0.7 million drainage basins with sizes over 50 km2. Our dataset contains the spatial distribution of drainage systems and their morphological parameters, supporting fields such as geomorphology, climatology, biology, ecology, hydrology, and natural hazards.
Nestor Gaviria-Lugo, Charlotte Läuchli, Hella Wittmann, Anne Bernhardt, Patrick Frings, Mahyar Mohtadi, Oliver Rach, and Dirk Sachse
Biogeosciences, 20, 4433–4453, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4433-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4433-2023, 2023
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We analyzed how leaf wax hydrogen isotopes in continental and marine sediments respond to climate along one of the strongest aridity gradients in the world, from hyperarid to humid, along Chile. We found that under extreme aridity, the relationship between hydrogen isotopes in waxes and climate is non-linear, suggesting that we should be careful when reconstructing past hydrological changes using leaf wax hydrogen isotopes so as to avoid overestimating how much the climate has changed.
Jens M. Turowski, Gunnar Pruß, Anne Voigtländer, Andreas Ludwig, Angela Landgraf, Florian Kober, and Audrey Bonnelye
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 979–994, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-979-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-979-2023, 2023
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Rivers can cut into rocks, and their strength modulates the river's erosion rates. Yet, which properties of the rock control its response to erosive action is poorly understood. Here, we describe parallel experiments to measure rock erosion rates under fluvial impact erosion and the rock's geotechnical properties such as fracture strength, elasticity, and density. Erosion rates vary over a factor of a million between different rock types. We use the data to improve current theory.
Ci-Jian Yang, Pei-Hao Chen, Erica D. Erlanger, Jens M. Turowski, Sen Xu, Tse-Yang Teng, Jiun-Chuan Lin, and Jr-Chuang Huang
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 475–486, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-475-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-475-2023, 2023
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Observations of the interaction between extreme physical erosion and chemical weathering dynamics are limited. We presented major elements of stream water in the badland catchment at 3 h intervals during a 3 d typhoon. The excess sodium in the evaporite deposits causes material dispersion through deflocculation, which enhances the suspended sediment flux. Moreover, we observed a shift from predominantly evaporite weathering at peak precipitation to silicate weathering at peak discharge.
Aaron Bufe, Kristen L. Cook, Albert Galy, Hella Wittmann, and Niels Hovius
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 513–530, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-513-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-513-2022, 2022
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Erosion modulates Earth's carbon cycle by exposing a variety of lithologies to chemical weathering. We measured water chemistry in streams on the eastern Tibetan Plateau that drain either metasedimentary or granitoid rocks. With increasing erosion, weathering shifts from being a CO2 sink to being a CO2 source for both lithologies. However, metasedimentary rocks typically weather 2–10 times faster than granitoids, with implications for the role of lithology in modulating the carbon cycle.
Odin Marc, Jens M. Turowski, and Patrick Meunier
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 995–1011, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-995-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-995-2021, 2021
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The size of grains delivered to rivers is an essential parameter for understanding erosion and sediment transport and their related hazards. In mountains, landslides deliver these rock fragments, but few studies have analyzed the landslide properties that control the resulting sizes. We present measurements on 17 landslides from Taiwan and show that their grain sizes depend on rock strength, landslide depth and drop height, thereby validating and updating a previous theory on fragmentation.
Elisabeth Dietze, Kai Mangelsdorf, Andrei Andreev, Cornelia Karger, Laura T. Schreuder, Ellen C. Hopmans, Oliver Rach, Dirk Sachse, Volker Wennrich, and Ulrike Herzschuh
Clim. Past, 16, 799–818, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-799-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-799-2020, 2020
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Long-term climate change impacts on fire, vegetation and permafrost in the Arctic are uncertain. Here, we show the high potential of organic compounds from low-temperature biomass burning to serve as proxies for surface fires in lake deposits. During warm periods of the last 430 000 years, surface fires are closely linked to the larch taiga forest with its moss–lichen ground vegetation that isolates the permafrost. They have reduced in warm–wet, spruce–dominated and cool–dry steppe environments.
Sara Savi, Stefanie Tofelde, Andrew D. Wickert, Aaron Bufe, Taylor F. Schildgen, and Manfred R. Strecker
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 303–322, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-303-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-303-2020, 2020
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Fluvial deposits record changes in water and sediment supply. As such, they are often used to reconstruct the tectonic or climatic history of a basin. In this study we used an experimental setting to analyze how fluvial deposits register changes in water or sediment supply at a confluence zone. We provide a new conceptual framework that may help understanding the construction of these deposits under different forcings conditions, information crucial to correctly inferring the history of a basin.
Jens Martin Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 103–122, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-103-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-103-2020, 2020
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Bedrock channels are the conveyor belts of mountain regions, evacuating sediment produced by erosion. Bedrock channel morphology and dynamics affect sediment transport rates and local erosion and set the base level for hillslope response. Here, using mechanistic considerations of the processes of fluvial erosion and transport, and considerations of the mass balance of sediment and bedrock, I discuss the principles governing steady-state channel morphology and the dynamic paths to achieve it.
Claire Rault, Alexandra Robert, Odin Marc, Niels Hovius, and Patrick Meunier
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 829–839, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-829-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-829-2019, 2019
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Large earthquakes trigger thousands of landslides in the area of their epicentre. For three earthquake cases, we have determined the position of these landslides along hillslopes. These co-seismic landslides tend to cluster at ridge crests and slope toes. We show that crest clustering is specific to seismic triggering. But although co-seismic landslides locate higher in the landscape than rainfall-induced landslides, geological features strongly modulate their position along the hillslopes.
Mitch K. D'Arcy, Taylor F. Schildgen, Jens M. Turowski, and Pedro DiNezio
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 755–771, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-755-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-755-2019, 2019
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The age of formation of sedimentary deposits is often interpreted to record information about past environmental changes. Here, we show that the timing of abandonment of surfaces also provides valuable information. We derive a new set of equations that can be used to estimate when a sedimentary surface was abandoned based on what is known about its activity from surface dating. Estimates of abandonment age can benefit a variety of geomorphic analyses, which we illustrate with a case study.
Stefanie Tofelde, Sara Savi, Andrew D. Wickert, Aaron Bufe, and Taylor F. Schildgen
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 609–631, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-609-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-609-2019, 2019
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We performed seven physical experiments to explore terrace formation and sediment export from a braided alluvial river system that is perturbed by changes in water discharge, sediment supply, or base level. Each perturbation differently affects (1) the geometry of terraces and channels, (2) the timing of terrace formation, and (3) the transient response of sediment discharge. Our findings provide guidelines for interpreting fill terraces and sediment export from fluvial systems.
Odin Marc, Robert Behling, Christoff Andermann, Jens M. Turowski, Luc Illien, Sigrid Roessner, and Niels Hovius
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 107–128, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-107-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-107-2019, 2019
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We mapped eight monsoon-related (> 100 m2) and large (> 0.1 km2) landslides in the Nepal Himalayas since 1970. Adding inventories of Holocene landslides, giant landslides (> 1 km3), and landslides from the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, we constrain the size–frequency distribution of monsoon- and earthquake-induced landslides. Both contribute ~50 % to a long-term (> 10 kyr) total erosion of ~2 mm yr-1, matching the long-term exhumation rate. Large landslides rarer than 10Be sampling time drive erosion.
Katalyn A. Voss, Bodo Bookhagen, Dirk Sachse, and Oliver A. Chadwick
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2018-534, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2018-534, 2018
Preprint withdrawn
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Water supply in the Himalayas is derived from rainfall, snowpack, glacial melt, and groundwater that vary spatially and seasonally. This study provides new data collected from rain, snow, and glacial-sourced surface waters over a 5000 m elevation range from April to October 2016. We identify water sourced from the summer monsoon versus winter westerly storms and track major snow and glacial melt events to elucidate the sourcing and timing of Himalayan streamflow and inform water management.
Bernhard Aichner, Florian Ott, Michał Słowiński, Agnieszka M. Noryśkiewicz, Achim Brauer, and Dirk Sachse
Clim. Past, 14, 1607–1624, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1607-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1607-2018, 2018
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Abundances of plant biomarkers are compared with pollen data in a 3000-year climate archive covering the Late Glacial to Holocene transition in northern Poland. Both parameters synchronously show the rapid onset (12680–12600 yr BP) and termination
(11580–11490 yr BP) of the Younger Dryas cold interval in the study area. This demonstrates the suitability of such proxies to record pronounced changes in vegetation cover without significant delay.
Anne Schöpa, Wei-An Chao, Bradley P. Lipovsky, Niels Hovius, Robert S. White, Robert G. Green, and Jens M. Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 467–485, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-467-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-467-2018, 2018
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On 21 July 2014, a voluminous landslide entered the caldera lake at Askja, Iceland, and created tsunami waves inundating famous tourist spots. The high hazard potential of the site motivated our study in which we analysed seismic data and found a precursory tremor signal intensifying in the 30 min before the landslide. Our paper shows the potential of seismic monitoring techniques to detect precursory activity before a big landslide that could be used for an early-warning system.
Jens Martin Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 29–48, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-29-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-29-2018, 2018
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Bedrock channels are a key component of mountainous landscapes. Here, a new model of the steady-state morphology, including channel width, slope and sinuosity, is derived from process physics considerations. The model compares favourably to observed scaling relations.
Michael Dietze, Jens M. Turowski, Kristen L. Cook, and Niels Hovius
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 757–779, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-757-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-757-2017, 2017
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Rockfall is an essential geomorphic process and a hazard in steep landscapes which is hard to constrain with traditional approaches. Seismic methods allow for the detection, location, characterisation and linking of events to triggers by lag times. This new technique reveals 49 rockfalls in 6 months with seasonally varying locations. Freeze–thaw action accounts for only 5 events, whereas 19 rockfalls were caused by rain with a 1 h peak lag time, and 17 events were due to diurnal thermal forcing.
Albrecht von Boetticher, Jens M. Turowski, Brian W. McArdell, Dieter Rickenmann, Marcel Hürlimann, Christian Scheidl, and James W. Kirchner
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 3963–3978, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3963-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3963-2017, 2017
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The open-source fluid dynamic solver presented in v. Boetticher et al. (2016) combines a Coulomb viscosplastic rheological model with a Herschel–Bulkley model based on material properties for 3-D debris flow simulations. Here, we validate the solver and illustrate the model sensitivity to water content, channel curvature, content of fine material and channel bed roughness. We simulate both laboratory-scale and large-scale debris-flow experiments, using only one of the two calibration parameters.
Michael Dietze, Solmaz Mohadjer, Jens M. Turowski, Todd A. Ehlers, and Niels Hovius
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 653–668, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-653-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-653-2017, 2017
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We use a seismometer network to detect and locate rockfalls, a key process shaping steep mountain landscapes. When tested against laser scan surveys, all seismically detected events could be located with an average deviation of 81 m. Seismic monitoring provides insight to the dynamics of individual rockfalls, which can be as small as 0.0053 m3. Thus, seismic methods provide unprecedented temporal, spatial and kinematic details about this important process.
Antonius Golly and Jens M. Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 557–570, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-557-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-557-2017, 2017
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Researchers of fluvial geomorphology require reliable information on channel width and its change in space and time. For example, to study bank erosion rates we need the local position of channel banks before and after a high flood event. Although deriving these metrics seems simple, researchers often use manual or arbitrary approaches that are not objective and reproducible. Here, we present an open-source software tool
cmgo(R package) that meets the requirements of academic research.
Odin Marc, Patrick Meunier, and Niels Hovius
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 1159–1175, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-1159-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-1159-2017, 2017
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We present an analytical expression for the surface area of the region within which landslides induced by a given earthquake are distributed. The expression is based on seismological scaling laws. Without calibration the model predicts, within a factor of 2, up to 49 out of 83 cases reported in the literature and agrees with the smallest region around the fault containing 95 % of the total landslide area. This model may be used for hazard assessment based on early earthquake detection parameters.
Oliver Rach, Ansgar Kahmen, Achim Brauer, and Dirk Sachse
Clim. Past, 13, 741–757, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-741-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-741-2017, 2017
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Currently, reconstructions of past changes in the hydrological cycle are usually qualitative, which is a major drawback for testing the accuracy of models in predicting future responses. Here we present a proof of concept of a novel approach to deriving quantitative paleohydrological data, i.e. changes in relative humidity, from lacustrine sediment archives, employing a combination of organic geochemical methods and plant physiological modeling.
Fabian Walter, Arnaud Burtin, Brian W. McArdell, Niels Hovius, Bianca Weder, and Jens M. Turowski
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 939–955, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-939-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-939-2017, 2017
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Debris flows are naturally occuring mass motion events, which mobilize loose material in steep Alpine torrents. The destructive potential of debris flows is well known and demands early warning. Here we apply the amplitude source location (ASL) method to seismic ground vibrations induced by a debris flow event in Switzerland. The method efficiently detects the initiation of the event and traces its front propagation down the torrent channel.
Jens M. Turowski and Rebecca Hodge
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 311–330, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-311-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-311-2017, 2017
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Bedrock incision by rivers is driven by the impacts of sediment particles moved by the water flow. Sediment residing on the bed can protect the rock from impacts, thereby reducing erosion rates, a phenomenon known as the cover effect. The cover effect has been shown to be important in many field and laboratory experiments. Here, we develop a mathematical framework to describe the cover effect which can be used to compare data and to predict the extent of cover in streams.
Sara Savi, Stefanie Tofelde, Hella Wittmann, Fabiana Castino, and Taylor Schildgen
Earth Surf. Dynam. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2017-30, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2017-30, 2017
Preprint withdrawn
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When using cosmogenic nuclides to determine exposure ages or denudation rates in rapidly evolving landscapes, challenges arise related to the small number of nuclides that have accumulated in surface materials. Here we describe an approach that defines a lower threshold above which samples with low 10Be content can be statistically distinguished from laboratory blanks. This in turn dictates the meaning and reliability of the samples and their possible use.
Alexander R. Beer, James W. Kirchner, and Jens M. Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 885–894, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-885-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-885-2016, 2016
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Spatial bedrock erosion data from stream channels are important for engineering issues and landscape evolution model assessment. However, acquiring such data is challenging and only few data sets exist. Detecting changes in repeated photographs of painted bedrock surfaces easily allows for semi-quantitative conclusions on the spatial distribution of sediment transport and its effects: abrasion on surfaces facing the streamflow and shielding of surfaces by abundant sediment.
Robert Emberson, Niels Hovius, Albert Galy, and Odin Marc
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 727–742, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-727-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-727-2016, 2016
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Rapid dissolution of bedrock and regolith mobilised by landslides can be an important control on rates of overall chemical weathering in mountain ranges. In this study we analysed a number of landslides and rivers in Taiwan to better understand why this occurs. We find that sulfuric acid resulting from rapid oxidation of highly reactive sulfides in landslide deposits drives the intense weathering and can set catchment-scale solute budgets. This could be a CO2 source in fast-eroding mountains.
Albrecht von Boetticher, Jens M. Turowski, Brian W. McArdell, Dieter Rickenmann, and James W. Kirchner
Geosci. Model Dev., 9, 2909–2923, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-2909-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-2909-2016, 2016
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Debris flows are characterized by unsteady flows of water with different content of clay, silt, sand, gravel, and large particles, resulting in a dense moving mixture mass. Here we present a three-dimensional fluid dynamic solver that simulates the flow as a mixture of a pressure-dependent rheology model of the gravel mixed with a Herschel–Bulkley rheology of the fine material suspension. We link rheological parameters to the material composition. The user must specify two free model parameters.
Arnaud Burtin, Niels Hovius, and Jens M. Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 285–307, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-285-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-285-2016, 2016
A. von Boetticher, J. M. Turowski, B. W. McArdell, D. Rickenmann, M. Hürlimann, C. Scheidl, and J. W. Kirchner
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmdd-8-6379-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmdd-8-6379-2015, 2015
Preprint withdrawn
M. Jochner, J. M. Turowski, A. Badoux, M. Stoffel, and C. Rickli
Earth Surf. Dynam., 3, 311–320, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-311-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-311-2015, 2015
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The export of coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) from mountain catchments seems to be strongly linked to rising discharge, but the mechanism leading to this is unclear. We show that log jams in a steep headwater stream are an effective barrier for CPOM export. Exceptional discharge events play a dual role: First, they destroy existing jams, releasing stored material. Second, they intensify channel--hillslope coupling, thereby recruiting logs to the channel, around which new jams can form.
A. R. Beer and J. M. Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 3, 291–309, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-291-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-291-2015, 2015
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We applied a spatiotemporally highly resolved dataset of discharge, sediment transport and bedrock erosion data to assess the validity of landscape evolution models at the process scale (resolution of square meters and minutes). The tools effect is found to be the dominant driver of erosion and an easy model is able to predict measured erosion. For larger scales common discharge-dependend modeling with a discharge threshold is adequate to regive the overal trend of the erosion signal.
O. Marc and N. Hovius
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 723–733, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-15-723-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-15-723-2015, 2015
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We present how amalgamation (i.e. the mapping of several adjacent landslides as a single polygon) can distort results derived from landslide mapping. Errors on the total landslide volume and power-law exponent of the area–frequency distribution, resulting from amalgamation, may be up to 200 and 50%, respectively. We present an algorithm based on image and DEM analysis, for automatic identification of amalgamated polygons, allowing one to check and correct landslide inventories faster.
J. Menges, C. Huguet, J. M. Alcañiz, S. Fietz, D. Sachse, and A. Rosell-Melé
Biogeosciences, 11, 2571–2581, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-2571-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-2571-2014, 2014
A. Burtin, N. Hovius, B. W. McArdell, J. M. Turowski, and J. Vergne
Earth Surf. Dynam., 2, 21–33, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-21-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-21-2014, 2014
J. M. Turowski, A. Badoux, K. Bunte, C. Rickli, N. Federspiel, and M. Jochner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 1, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-1-1-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-1-1-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Chemical: Carbon cycling
Channel cross-section heterogeneity of particulate organic carbon transport in the Huanghe
Geomorphic regulation of floodplain soil organic carbon concentration in watersheds of the Rocky and Cascade Mountains, USA
Model predictions of long-lived storage of organic carbon in river deposits
Modelling a century of soil redistribution processes and carbon delivery from small watersheds using a multi-class sediment transport model
Preservation of terrestrial organic carbon in marine sediments offshore Taiwan: mountain building and atmospheric carbon dioxide sequestration
Yutian Ke, Damien Calmels, Julien Bouchez, Marc Massault, Benjamin Chetelat, Aurélie Noret, Hongming Cai, Jiubin Chen, Jérôme Gaillardet, and Cécile Quantin
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 347–365, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-347-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-347-2024, 2024
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Through a river cross-section, we show that fluvial organic carbon in the lower Huanghe has clear vertical and lateral heterogeneity in elemental and isotopic signals. Bank erosion supplies terrestrial organic carbon to the fluvial transport. Physical erosion of aged and refractory organic carbon, including radiocarbon-dead organic carbon source from the biosphere, from relatively deep soil horizons of the Chinese Loess Plateau contributes to fluvial particulate organic carbon in the Huanghe.
Daniel N. Scott and Ellen E. Wohl
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 1101–1114, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1101-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1101-2018, 2018
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Mountain rivers play an important role in storing organic carbon (OC) on the landscape. We use field sampling to quantify OC concentrations in floodplain soils of two disparate mountain river basins. We find that local valley geometry and hydrology are dominant controls on OC concentration. This implies that OC concentration cannot be predicted using consistent downstream trends. Instead, geomorphology must be accounted for to understand the spatial distribution of OC in river basins.
Mark A. Torres, Ajay B. Limaye, Vamsi Ganti, Michael P. Lamb, A. Joshua West, and Woodward W. Fischer
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 711–730, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-711-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-711-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper, we describe a new model for the storage times of sediments and organic carbon (OC) in river deposits. Comparisons between our model predictions and field data show good agreement, which suggests that our model accurately captures the relevant time and space scales. An implication of our model is that OC is stored in river deposits over geologic timescales and, as a result, we propose that fluvial storage plays a larger role in the carbon cycle than previously recognized.
Florian Wilken, Peter Fiener, and Kristof Van Oost
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 113–124, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-113-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-113-2017, 2017
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Short summary
This study presents a model that accounts for preferential erosion and transport of sediment and soil organic carbon in agricultural landscapes. We applied the model to a small catchment in Belgium for a period of 100 years. After a thorough model evaluation, these simulations shows that sediment and carbon export are highly episodic and that the temporal variability is largely influenced by selective erosion and deposition.
S.-J. Kao, R. G. Hilton, K. Selvaraj, M. Dai, F. Zehetner, J.-C. Huang, S.-C. Hsu, R. Sparkes, J. T. Liu, T.-Y. Lee, J.-Y. T. Yang, A. Galy, X. Xu, and N. Hovius
Earth Surf. Dynam., 2, 127–139, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-127-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-127-2014, 2014
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Editor
Many previous studies have examined the transfer of organic carbon in river systems within suspended sediment (fine particles carried in suspension making the water appear muddy etc..), however, few have looked at how much carbon is transported with bedload (coarser sand and pebbles that bounce along the base of the channel). This paper looks at the fluxes of carbon in the bedload and finds they are a far smaller percentage than that carried as suspended load, but may be more important for long term sinks or stores of carbon as they are more readily deposited in sediments that may become buried for a considerable period of time.
Many previous studies have examined the transfer of organic carbon in river systems within...
Short summary
The transport of plant debris in rivers is an important part of the global carbon cycle and influences atmospheric carbon levels through time. We sampled plant debris at the bed of a lowland river and determined the sources as it is transported hundreds of kilometers. Plant debris can persist at the riverbed, but mechanical breakdown reduces its amount, and it is only a small fraction compared to the suspended load. This plant debris and transport patterns need further investigation globally.
The transport of plant debris in rivers is an important part of the global carbon cycle and...
